End of the Line
by swimmurgirl
Summary: ...on hiatus... SetoxTea. When Seto Kaiba finds a beaten Téa Gardener alone on the street, will he take her in or throw her out? And can romance really happen between them?
1. Crash

Tea turned around, her tears wetting her cheeks. Her tired blue eyes looked over her surroundings.

"_Not like there's much here anyway,"_ she thought.

She was miles away from any civilization, having walked away from the party she was attending. She hadn't really wanted to go in the first place, but her boyfriend had insisted.

**Flashback**

"Come on Tea, it'll be fun!" her boyfriend said. He was waiting in the doorway of her apartment, looking annoyed.

"Umm, I really don't know." Tea replied. "I mean, I have a lot to do. My dance performance is coming up and I really need to practice…."

"No Tea," he said forcefully. "I insist." And with that, he grabbed her and pulled her out the door.

**End Flashback**

"_Why did I listen to him? Why did I go? I should have seen that he was just using me! Everybody knew! Everyone except me!"_ Spinning around, she kicked a trashcan. It fell over, but also resulted in a pain in her foot.

Limping, she started to walk again. It had started to rain and the gentle water droplets mingled with her tears.

Tea had always been one to remember. She remembered everything that had happened to her, the good and the bad. She could remember Duelist Kingdom and Pegasus, Battle City and Marik. She remembered the good times she had spent with her friends and the relationships she had developed. But she also remembered the saddest moments of her life. The day her sister died, the day her parents abandoned her, and now, tonight.

"_They all knew. Every single one of them knew that he was cheating on me. Joey knew. Tristan knew. Mai knew. But I just couldn't see it. I couldn't see it because I didn't want it to be true. I was a freakin' idiot!"_

Turning down another street, Tea was still in thought. _"What's left of my life anyway? My friends mock me, my parents exile me, and now my boyfriend cheats on me. I'm truly alone now. I have no one."_ Realizing this, Tea's thoughts jumped around to Seto Kaiba. She hadn't seen the CEO since high school, but even when she knew him, he had always been a solitary person.

"_And I kept trying to help him. I told him over and over again to lighten up, I tried to teach him to realize that power wasn't everything. That he should get his own life. But he was never really alone," she realized with a shock. "He always had his little brother. He always had Mokuba. And I kept working at it, made it my goal to change him. I should have been worrying about my own life instead. Maybe if I had paid a little more attention to myself, I wouldn't be here right now."_

The rain had started to increase, but Tea didn't care. She wandered aimlessly, not really paying attention to where she was going. Crossing the street, she didn't hear the car. She didn't here the loud honking of the horn. Too late, she looked back and saw the car, speeding towards her. Tea's eyes opened in shock. Was her life going to end now?

All the driver saw was a girl, a look of panic on her face. She was a deer, caught in the light. Frantically, he stepped on the brake, already knowing that he wouldn't be able to stop in time.

'Screech!'

'Bang!'

"No!"


	2. Why me?

Wow! This is a really quick update! I can promise you that I will not always be this speedy. It's just that I had this idea in my head and I didn't want to make you wait. Whenever I get to a cliffhanger, I feel like screaming because I don't know what's going to happen next. And I just ended with a cliffhanger in the first chapter! Anyway, the reason this is out so soon is thanks to all you lovely people who reviewed chapter 1. It was so nice to go on my e-mail and see your reviews sitting there! It makes me feel so loved! Also thank you to the people who added me to their author alerts list. You were all so nice, so this chapter is for you!

Tea didn't hear the car until it was too late. She only looked up when she heard the noise of the brakes trying to stop. Her body was frozen. She couldn't move. She could only watch as the car sped towards her.

'Screech' went the brakes of the car.

'Bang' went the two passengers of the vehicle as they and their belongings hit the floor.

"No!" the driver screamed and tried to stop the limousine.

Time seemed to move in slow motion as the limo approached Tea. First it was 10 feet away. Then 5. Then so close that she could have reached out and touched it. The limo finally came to a stop barely 6 inches away from Tea. "Phew," gasped the driver, wiping his forehead. "That was close." It had been a miracle that the limo had stopped in time.

Tea didn't notice. She had passed out.

"Driver. What happened?" Seto Kaiba asked. He had fallen to the floor of his limo, along with his computer and other things for his company.

"Well sir, we hit a girl that was crossing the street. We didn't exactly hit her, but see, she passed out or something. I really didn't mean to…"

"Stop your babbling. Do you really think I care?" Seto asked impatiently.

"Seto? What happened?" Mokuba asked, pulling himself out from underneath the seat.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out," he responded, opening the door to the limo. Barely noticing the stormy weather, he strode around to the front of the car. When he saw who was lying there, he couldn't believe his eyes.

"No way!" Mokuba said, having followed Seto outside. "Tea?"

"_What is Yugi's little cheerleader doing out here?" _Seto thought.

"Seto, we have to help her!" Mokuba tugged on his older brother's sleeve. "We can take her home and make sure she gets better!"

"Hnn. I think not Mokuba. Besides, one of her geeky friends will probably be coming to pick her up anyway." He dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

"But Seto, there's no one around for miles! We can't just leave her here in the middle of the road!" Mokuba protested. "We did almost run her over! And besides, she's my friend! We have to help her!"

"_Oh great. So if I say yes, we get to have the cheerleader stay over. But if I say no, Mokuba will never forgive me. She did save his life during Battle City,"_ Seto remembered. _"It could have easily been Mokuba under that crate instead of her. That nut job Marik could have even used him to try to get to me. He did know that I had Obelisk the Tormentor..."_

"Big brother?" Mokuba asked. He was starting to get worried. All Seto had done was stare at Tea for the past minute or two, like he was deep in thought.

"All right, she can stay," Seto said. "But she better not annoy me." Turning around, he started to walk back towards his limo.

"Seto?" Mokuba said.

"Hnn." The problem was obvious. Tea was still unconscious and Mokuba couldn't carry her. "Fine."

Striding back to where Mokuba was standing, he knelt down and took Tea in his arms. She was so cold, so instinctively, he held her a bit tighter. Ignoring the giggles that had erupted from Mokuba, he walked towards the limo, only to be stopped by a small obstacle. Mentally sighing, he turned back to Mokuba.

"Mokuba. Get the door," Seto demanded.

"Okay Seto. Whatever you say, big bro!" he chirped.

"Mokuba..." Seto growled.

"Just kidding!" And with that, he opened the door.

Seto entered the limo and decided to lay Tea down on one of the long leather seats. He then took a single seat opposite from her. Mokuba sat next to Tea, looking sad and forlorn.

"Will she be okay Seto?" he asked.

Seto's gaze softened as he looked down at his only brother. "I don't know Mokuba. I don't know."

Changing his tone of voice, he addressed the only other person present. "Driver. Drive," he ordered.

Where to, sir?" The driver was very confused.

"Kaiba mansion. And be quick about it."

Tea awoke a few hours later in a bed that was not her own.

"_Oh my god, what happened? Where am I?"_ she wondered. She was in a pink themed room with sun yellow trimmings. Light streamed in through the windows, making her guess that it was about 12:00.

Unsteadily, she tried to get out of the bed. Holding onto the headboard, she could feel her legs trembling beneath her. _"This better not be permanent,"_ she thought. _"How else can I dance? Not like I'll make it to America anyway, legs or no legs,"_ she finished regretfully.

Opening the door, she found herself in a long hallway. There were more windows in here, this time made of stained glass. _"God, how rich is this person anyway?"_ she thought. Seeing an open door, she decided to move on.

After walking down the flight of stairs that the door had revealed, she heard voices coming from another slightly adjacent door.

"Seto, what if she doesn't get better? Shouldn't we get a doctor or something?" Mokuba's concerned voice piped up.

"Mokuba," Seto said, exasperated. "This is the sixtieth time you've asked. I checked on her 5 minutes ago and she was not running a fever or anything like that."

Behind the door, Tea grinned. So Kaiba -if it was him- did care. Even if his brother had made him do it, he had still tried to make sure that she was okay. Maybe she could prove that Seto Kaiba actually had a heart. _"But I should probably focus on cleaning up the mess that is my life first before I go on to help others,"_ she thought, sighing.

"Well, I don't care!" Mokuba said. "I'm going to make sure she's all right!" He threw open the door and sprinted out only to crash into none other then Tea herself.

"Ummm….Hi Tea, how are you feeling?" he asked, turning a crimson red. Turning around, he led her back into the dining room.

"I'm okay," she responded. "My head hurts, I am a little dizzy, and my legs feel kind of funny."

"That was to be expected," Seto remarked, allowing his gaze to wander over to her. _"Good Lord, she certainly has beautiful legs,"_ he noticed. The next second, he could have smacked himself for that remark. Putting his head in his hands, he wondered why Tea Gardener had to be so beautiful.

"Seto? Are you feeling sick?" Mokuba asked.

"No," he answered briskly, keeping his eyes on anything but Tea. "I was just up too late recently."

At this, Tea blushed crimson. "Oh no Kaiba, you really didn't have to look after me. I was feeling okay, really."

"Hnn," he remarked still averting his eyes from her body.

Suddenly, a beeping was heard throughout the room. "Ooops, that was my watch alarm!" Mokuba said. "I'm going to be late for class! See you later Seto! Bye!" he dashed out the door.

Tea smiled shyly, wondering where exactly Mokuba was school.

"Oh, and Tea?" Mokuba was back. "Don't forget to drink lots of liquids!" he said. Then he was gone, leaving Tea alone with Seto.

Kaiba finished the soup he had been eating and immediately pulled out his laptop. Opening it, he started typing on a computer program. His fingers skittered across the keys as he tried to perfect his duel disk design.

Tea longed to say something, anything. The silence was oppressing, broken only by the tapping of keys. She watched him as his brow tightened, trying to work out a problem. "Kaiba?" Tea asked.

"What?" he replied, eyes still on the computer screen.

"I was just wondering, what exactly am I doing here anyways?" she inquired.

"Don't you remember?" Kaiba said, still not looking at her

Tea stood stock still as the past night's events came back to her.

**Flashback**

"Hey Tristan, have you seen him?" Tea asked her friend. She was searching throughout the bar for her boyfriend, whom she had not seen for the past hour. He had promised a party, but she didn't know that he meant an alcoholic one. Tea wasn't comfortable in the bar, especially with so many men staring at her, so she wanted to get him to take her home.

'Oh, he's somewhere over there- I think…" Tristan pointed vaguely as he saw a beautiful blond girl pass by. "Hey, wait up miss!" he called, leaving Tea by herself.

Tea walked in the direction Joey pointed. Coming to the bar, she saw him. He was sitting with another girl, talking and laughing. Tea recognized the girl. Her name was Jasmine and she was in Tea's English class. Both of them held beers in their hands. The girl hiccupped and laughed, and as Tea was watching, she leaned over and kissed him.

**End Flashback**

"Gardener? Gardener?" Kaiba broke into Tea's thoughts. "What's wrong with you?"

"I just…-never mind," Tea responded. She turned away from him, her eyes scanning a blank wall.

Abandoning his laptop, Seto walked around to where she was sitting.

"Gardener, what **is** wrong with you? I saved your life and now you're sitting in my mansion. Anybody would be pleased in this position," he remarked, noticing her put her head in her arms.

"I…-nothing," she said, sounding like she was on the verge of tears. "Oh, Kaiba!" she said, whirling around to face him.

The next thing Seto knew, she had put her arms around him and was crying into his chest. Unsure how to respond, he awkwardly put his arms around her and patted her gently on the back.

"Stupid…….he invited me to a party………..goes and kisses someone else………dumps me………I was so stupid……..should have seen it before," she sobbed, burying her head deeper into his chest, which was very muscular and well formed.

Seto almost had a heart attack. _"What the heck is she doing!"_ he thought. _"She's treating me like I'm one of her friends or something!" _ He still didn't know how to get her off. Maybe he should just let her cry for a while. After all, it was pretty nice to be held like this. _"Arghh! Where do these thoughts keep coming from?"_ he almost screamed at himself.

Tea, meanwhile, was finishing up her "confession." Not like Kaiba would be able to understand what she was saying anyway……Kaiba! Tea's eyes widened in shock. _"Oh my god, am I actually cuddling up to Kaiba!" _she thought. _"What was I thinking?"_

Sliding out of his grasp, Tea sat back on her chair, sniffling loudly. "God, Kaiba, I'm so sorry!" Not receiving a reply from the CEO, she walked over to where he had continued working on his laptop.

"What company work could you possibly be doing during the weekend?" she asked.

"Nothing," he replied. This just earned a sharp glare from Tea. He sighed. "Duel Disk Version 5.5," Seto responded. "Trying to make up for stupid employees messing everything up…"

Tea bent over the computer, her chocolate brown hair brushing Kaiba's shoulder. Glancing at the rotating 3D model, she bit her lip in frustration. "Look, Kaiba," she said. "What if you just made it like this…" she reached over and grabbed some paper and a pencil, beginning to sketch.

Seto looked over at her, scribbling away. _"What does Gardener think she's doing?"_ he thought. _"Does she really think that she's the one to perfect my duel disk when I can't even do it?" _

"Gardener," he said, interrupting her drawing.

"Yes? Oh, I probably should have asked first, it's not my house or anything…." _"Good going Tea,"_ Tea answered herself. _"Now the great Seto Kaiba probably thinks you're an idiot for babbling too much!"_

"You're right, Gardener," Seto remarked. "It's not your house, it's mine. Which is why I can't let you stay here."

"What?" Tea asked. "But why? I haven't done anything wrong! I don't have anywhere else to go! And Mokuba said I could stay for another week…"

Tea abruptly stopped her rampage when she noticed a smirk cross Kaiba's face. "Kaiba! That wasn't funny! I thought that I was going to starve or something!" She was angry, and the fact that Kaiba was still smirking wasn't helping.

"Tch, Gardener, you're so gulliable. Even the mutt wouldn't have fallen for that. Then again, having an IQ of 2, he probably would." Seto leaned back in his chair, triumphant.

"Don't start dissing my friends again, Kaiba!" Tea said. _"Yeah, my 'friends'," _she thought. _"Fat lot of good they did me now that I'm accepting Kaiba's hospitality."_

"Whatever, annoying cheerleader girl. The point is, I can not let you stay here for free, taking advantage of my kind hospitality." Here, Tea snorted. "You'll have to do some sort of work to make up for the money you're costing me," Seto concluded.

Tea was about to object, then decided to let him finish first.

"So Gardener, what can you do?" Seto asked her.

"What do you mean?" Tea inquired.

"Can you cook?" he asked, sincerely hoping that the answer would be yes. _"I need a new one ever since that old lady got hit on the head with a frying pan. Takes hundreds of dollars of medical insurance every month,"_ he shuddered.

"Umm, sort of," she responded

"Can you clean?" he attempted another question.

"Uhhh, not really," she said, twisting around in her seat.

"Well, what are you good at, Gardener?" Kaiba asked, starting to get very impatient.

"I can dance really well and…" she bravely began.

"Dancing doesn't get work done, Friendship Girl," Seto interrupted.

Hesitating, she tried again, "I can type-I worked as a typist in Mexico once and…"

Here, Seto leaned forwards in his chair. "You actually worked as a typist in Mexico?" Now he was interested. He didn't even know that Gardener had the money to go to Mexico, let alone do volunteer work.

"Yeah, it was that summer volunteer opportunity back in school during the summer before senior year, remember?" she asked, doubting that Kaiba actually would remember. _"He barely even came to school his senior year, he was getting harassed by the press a lot,"_ she recalled_. "Even when he did come, he didn't pay any attention to the teachers. I wonder how he actually managed to pass at all, let alone with As and A+s. It's obvious he's a genius or something," _Tea finished. _"I can't imagine that Kaiba would actually bribe the teachers to give him good grades. In fact, that actually sounds like something he would do."_

"Hnn. I have the perfect job in mind for you. You will be my personal secretary, handling all calls and information," he leaned backwards, stretching. _"I only hope I don't get a heart attack from working with friendship girl,"_ he sighed inwardly.

Meanwhile, Tea was having a few thoughts of her own. _"Working as his personal secretary! But I don't know anything about that! Aren't secretaries supposed to be blond and pretty and faint at the voice of their hot boss?" _ (a/n: you see, poor little Tea has been watching too many movies lately….not all secretaries fit this description. I just needed a stereotype so please do not get offended,) _"Oh my gosh, did I just say that Kaiba was hot! Well he kinda is, with that tall, dark and handsome look and...no, stop thinking like this Tea! Where were we before we got distracted by Seto Kaiba's hotness? Oh yeah, working for him..."_

"Gardener?" Once again, Seto's voice broke into her thoughts.

"Huh?" was her witty response.

Sighing, he asked, "So do you accept?"

"Uhh…sure, I guess…." Tea decided, still very confused.

"Fine. Here are your terms of employment," he said. "Please read them over carefully."

Tea scanned over the list. It included her rights, privileges, when she could quit, and days off.

"Any questions, cheerleader girl?" Seto asked. He was very curious as to what her response would be.

"Just one, Mister Kaiba," she responded sarcastically. "It doesn't say here that you have the right to insult me and my friends," she finished, before leaving the table and going back to her room.

Seto smirked. _"It seems that Gardener isn't an idiotic bimbo after all. I think she will enjoy what I have in store for her."_

Turning back to his laptop, his eye caught the piece of paper that Tea had left. Glancing at it, his jaw slightly dropped. Shifting his gaze back to the laptop, he smirked and began typing furiously.

Whew! That was a long chapter! 8 pages! Again, thank you to BUNNIE, The Cougar, Avataria, ShadowVixen, peeps, Lil-Fluffy-Chan, DudettRin101, QueenofHearts4u, seguha, Bradybunch4529, and SportZScooby. You guys rock! 11 reviews in 2 days!


	3. Secretarial Duties:My Immortal

Chapter 3! Once again, thanks to all the people who reviewed! You guys rock! I'll respond to your reviews soon……

Yep, this is a song chapter. You'll know if I'm writing one because the chapter title will be something – title of song. This chapter contains the song _My Immortal._

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Evanescence's _My Immortal. _If I owned either, I would be filthy rich.

Tea woke up early, having slept a lot the day before. Plus, her nervousness about working for Kaiba and her usual nightmares had prevented her from sleeping much in the first place. _"What if I mess up?"_ she thought. _"Will he fire me? Will he kick me out?"_

Slowly, she descended the stairs to the kitchen. Looking around for something to eat, she decided to make pancakes. Monotonously, she pulled out the flour and other ingredients.

Mokuba peered into the kitchen. He saw Tea, stirring a mixture. "Hey, Tea!" he said.

Tea responded with a warbling smile. "H-hi Mokuba," she responded.

"Are you okay?" he asked, worry etched into his features.

"Yeah, I'm just nervous," she replied. "Go sit down and you can have some pancakes."

"Yes ma'am," Mokuba saluted and laughed. Giggling, Tea turned back to her pancakes.

"_Now let's see if I can get this right,"_ she thought. Shoving the spatula underneath the golden brown cakes, she flipped them up into the air. Unfortunately, the pancakes spun out of control and landed on…..

A very confused Seto Kaiba who had just entered the kitchen.

"What the crap!" he exclaimed, glancing up at the pancakes affixed to his head.

Tea started to laugh. She couldn't help it. It was just too funny- seeing Seto Kaiba with pancakes on top of his head.

"Gardener!" Kaiba said. "What are you doing?"

"M-m-making b-b-breakfast!" she said in between giggles. Mokuba was staring from Seto to Tea like he was watching a tennis match.

Walking over to him, Tea pulled the pancakes out of his hair. Putting them on a plate, she handed them to Mokuba, who was still standing there with his mouth hanging wide open. "These'll be yours then, okay?" she said.

Mokuba then started laughing. "I don't know," he said. "They might not be sanitary after being in his hair, you know?" he said, then silenced on seeing his brother's glare.

"That's okay, I can make new ones," Tea said, avoiding Kaiba and his icy eyes.

After breakfast, Tea and Seto climbed into one limo while Mokuba climbed into another one.

"See you after school!" he shouted before his limo sped away.

As soon as Seto entered the limo, he pulled out his laptop and started typing furiously. The only sound in the car was the typing of keys.

Eventually, Tea ventured a question. "Where does Mokuba go to school?" she asked.

"Domino Business College," he responded without even pausing in his typing.

Tea twisted her purse around in her hands. "Look, Kaiba, I'm sorry for what happened…"

"Never mind, Gardener," he immediately responded, eyes still fixed on the computer.

After arriving at Kaiba Corp, they both proceeded to the top floor. Seto showed Tea her desk right outside his office. Pointing at some filing cabinets, he said, "Organize these folders alphabetically. I want this done by noon today."

And with that remark, he strode into his office.

Glancing at the chaotic folders, she sighed. _"This is going to take forever,"_ Tea thought. _"Trust Kaiba to give me something difficult to do my very first day." _

Then an idea popped into her head. "_What if I listen to some music?"_ she thought_. "It'll make time pass faster!"_ Walking over to the radio, she switched it on and set it to her favorite station. Picking up the nearest folder, she started to dance.

_I'm so tired of being here_

_  
Suppressed by all my childish fears_

_  
And if you have to leave_

_  
I wish that you would just leave_

_  
'Cause your presence still lingers here_

_  
And it won't leave me alone_

Tea thought about him. Her boyfriend, the love of her life. The one who was supposed to be with her no matter what happened. The one she was destined to be with forever.

_These wounds won't seem to heal_

_  
This pain is just too real_

_  
There's just too much that time cannot erase_

When he left her, Tea felt like dying. She was broken, had just faced rejection from a major Japanese dance academy and then he had the nerve to dump her. Yet she couldn't forget him. He lingered on in her.

She continued her dancing/organizing, not caring how much noise she made.

Seto Kaiba couldn't concentrate. His fingers hovered over the keyboard, his thoughts on a certain blue eyed brunette in the next room. "Speaking of the next room……." he thought, suddenly hearing music coming through the thin walls.

Walking over to the door, he had every intention of bursting in and telling Tea to be quiet. But upon seeing her dance, Seto just stood and watched.

_When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears_

_  
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears_

_  
And I held your hand through all of these years_

_  
But you still have_

_  
All of me  
_

Tea thought back to how she'd helped him. _"I cheered for him in duels,"_ she remembered. _"I helped him face his destiny. I was his friend when no one else would help him. He's treated me so cruelly, yet he still possesses my heart."_

Twirling around, she remembered when she first met him.

_You used to captivate me_

_  
By your resonating light_

_  
Now I'm bound by the life you left behind_

_  
Your face it haunts_

_  
My once pleasant dreams_

_  
Your voice it chased away_

_  
All the sanity in me_

She remembered the aura he seemed to possess. The power he had while he was dueling. _"But he took my heart and dashed it to pieces on the stones outside that bar,"_ she thought_. "He's always in my dreams; I'm so afraid that he'll come back and break my heart again."_

Seto watched her dance, a look of pain on her face. He had a strange urge to go out and comfort her, but restrained.

_These wounds won't seem to heal_

_  
This pain is just too real_

_  
There's just too much that time cannot erase_

"_I won't forget all you've done to me,"_ she thought. _"You've scarred me both inside and out. I trusted you completely and you cheated on me. I've never fully recovered."_

Seto watched amazedly as a tear fell down her pale cheek. He had no idea a single song could do this to someone.

_When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears_

_  
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears_

And I held your hand through all of these years

_  
But you still have _

_  
All of me_

"_I helped him regain his memories, I helped him win during duels, I did so much for him!" _she thought._ "How could he throw me away after all that? And how could my friends take his side?"_ she questioned_. "I know. He won them over with his words and promises. Just as he won me with his false pledges."_

Seto saw her violently kick over a trash can in the middle of the song. His eyebrows rose. _"What is she thinking about?"_ he wondered.

_I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone_

_  
But though you're still with me_

_  
I've been alone all along._

"_He's gone."_ Tea thought. _"I need to move on, need to get him out of my life. I can live without him."_ Suddenly she felt weak and fell to the floor.

Seto uncrossed his arms in alarm as he watched Tea crumple to the ground. Abandoning his cold demeanor, he strode over to her.

Tea looked up as he approached. "What's wrong?" he asked gruffly.

"N-nothing," she shakily responded.

"Stop lying, Gardener," Seto said. "What's bothering you?"

Tea put her arms around her legs and pulled her knees up to her chin. Staring up at him with mournful blue eyes, she reminded Seto of a lost animal. Giving a shuddering sigh, she began her tale.

**Flashback**

Tea strode out of the bar in a rage.

"Tea, come back!" he begged.

"No! I listened to you before! I won't make that mistake again!"

"But Tea! I didn't kiss her! She kissed me!" he pleaded.

"Then why did you kiss her back?" Tea demanded. "You've liked her all year, haven't you?" Not receiving a response from her boyfriend, she continued. "I have eyes, you know!"

"Tea, we can work this out! It was a mistake!"

"It was a mistake, all right," Tea agreed. "I just couldn't see it." Spinning around, she turned her back on him.

**End Flashback**

Seto sat there in shock. "Who knew that Tea Gardener could endure so much?" he thought. And not knowing what else to do, he wrapped his arms around her, giving Tea the support and comfort she needed in this time of hardship.

_When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears_

_  
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears_

_  
And I held your hand through all of these years_

_  
But you still have_

_  
All of me._


	4. Moments

Chapter 4 already! Thank you to all you lovely reviewers! 21 reviews!

Answers to Reviews (regular is registered user and italic is anonymous)

the reason some people have more than one answer is because they reviewed more than one chapter.

_BUNNIE_: Yes, I will definitely be continuing this fic thanks to reviewers like you!

The Cougar: Thanks.

Avataria: Yep, his limo did almost run her over and I will be working the relationship aspect in this chapter.

_peeps_: Thank you, I'll be updating a lot, I really like this story.

Lil-Fluffy-Chan: It's a bit late to respond to your review, but I will try to keep the new chapters coming! And you're welcome!

DudettRin101: Yep, he hits her! (well, almost hits her)

QueenofHearts4u: I wanted to portray that sort of sad aspect of Tea's life. She will have brighter days ahead! (his limo did hit her, but I made up for it by the limo not actually hitting her.- That was a very confusing sentence, I don't really get it myself…..)

seguha: Thanks, I'll keep updating and your stories were really good! My computer sometimes has issues reviewing….oh well.

Bradybunch4529: Thanks. You'll find out if her friends are gone for good…..maybe chapter 10 or so? (That's a really long ways away)

SportZScooby: Thank you. I'll keep updating!

_julia_: It will be romantic soon enough, and no, no lemons here.

The Cougar: I will!

Me-write-ficcys: Nice username, here is chapter 4.

Bradybunch4529: Thanks for thinking chapter 2 was good. I was kind of worried that it was not as good as the previous chapter, but you assured me it was!

_peeps_: Thanks! I will keep updating!

seguha: thank you.

Avataria: Yep, Seto is definitely not at his best. But there will be more romance very soon!

The Cougar: Thank you again.

animeaddict99: Love the username! Thanks for adding me to the C2! Yay!

_Heather_: Thank you! I feel so flattered!

(don't forget to review the end of this chapter! If you have some Seto x Tea stories, I'll go take a look at them if I can get my computer to cooperate!)

**Disclaimer: **Let's make this simple. I don't own, so you don't sue. I'm too tired to think of a good disclaimer.

**Notes: **If you read A Dancer's Thoughts, I might be doing a continuation. The more reviews, the more likely there is to be a sequel. If you haven't read it, it's a Seto and Tea oneshot….please go look at it.

ooooo

Tea woke up around midnight. _"Oh god, where am I?" _she looked around frantically. She was lying on a couch in an office. "_Of course I'm still in Kaiba's office!_" she thought. _"After spraining my ankle, there's no way I could have gone anywhere else." _

Looking down, all she saw was brown. Pulling away, she noticed that it was Kaiba's head. She smiled. _"He must have carried me here, and then fallen asleep,"_ she thought.

Looking down on his head again, she unconsciously brought her fingers up and ran them through his hair. It was smooth yet silky at the same time. This was her last thought as she succumbed to sleep once again.

For awhile, silenced reigned. Suddenly, Seto awoke panting. "What was that?" he asked, referring to his dream.

**The Dream**

He was in a forest, cool, calm and moist. Fog enveloped him as he ran. His muscles felt no pain, they rejoiced in the exercise.

Breaking through the last part of the trees, he came to a waterfall. There were two people there waiting for him. An elegant woman with long brown hair and a tall man with black hair and laughing blue eyes.

"Mother? Father?" he asked in awe.

They said nothing, only smiled and nodded. His mother came closer, descending the stone steps to his level.

"Seto…." she said, glancing into his eyes. Leaning forwards, she kissed him on the forehead.

As she pulled back to examine him, an extraordinary change occurred. Her hair shortened and her eyes changed from green to light blue. Looking up at him, she smiled.

"Tea?" he asked, astonished.

**End Dream**

"_What was I dreaming about Gardner for?"_ he questioned. Glancing upwards, he noticed Tea's hand in his hair. _"What was she doing?"_ he thought.

Tea started to shake violently. "No…..don't……you can't," she moaned in her sleep. "Don't……..no."

Seto watched her intently. "_She must be having a nightmare or something,"_ he thought.

"Please no……….anything but this," Tea said, rocking back and forth. "Anything else……..don't let me remember."

Seto wondered what she was dreaming about. _ "Last time I saw her, she was a happy-go-lucky cheerleader,"_ he remembered. _"What has happened to her that she wants to forget?"_

Tea turned over once again. "Mom, don't……..dancing……don't make me leave."

Seto's eyes widened. _"So she doesn't have parents either?"_ he was astonished. _"I never would have guessed that deep down she's just like me..."_

Tea had curled up into a little ball, now starting to violently rock back and forth. "So cold………all alone," she continued.

Seto suddenly heard a loud 'crack' coming from the chair. _"She's going to break my chair!" _he thought in alarm. Leaning over, he grabbed her arm.

"Gardner, Gardner, wake up!" he said. Groaning, she swatted at his hand. Exasperated, he tried again.

"Gardner, you're having a nightmare!" he exclaimed, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her off the chair just in time.

Seto landed on the floor very hard, Tea falling into his lap. _"What was I thinking?"_ he asked himself, mentally punching himself in the forehead.

Tea awoke when she felt herself falling down. Opening her eyes, she was slightly disoriented. Then she saw the position she was in. _"Oh my god, what am I doing in Kaiba's arms! I don't remember this!"_

She felt his arms tighten around her as he pulled her away from the chair, which was slowly falling apart. _"I'd never thought I'd say this, but this is nice," _Tea admitted to herself. _"Obviously Se-Kaiba doesn't know I'm awake yet."_

The chair suddenly snapped into millions of tiny pieces. Tea instinctively screamed as it fell to the floor.

Seto's eyes snapped open, surveying the damage. _"Great, that was a 5000 dollar chair!"_ he thought. Then he saw Tea lying among the splinters. _"Well, it is kind of my fault she fell; I did put her on that chair in the first place. Wait, since when do I care what happens to T-Gardener?"_

"Gardener?" he asked, grabbing her hand.

"Oww!" she screamed. "I think I have a splinter there!"

"Here," Seto said, bending over her hand.

His finger brushed over her hand and she felt like a sudden bolt of electricity had passed through her. Staring down at his head, she had the strongest urge to kiss him. _"Wait, this is Kaiba I'm talking about!"_ she thought. _"The guy who acted like a total jerk towards me and my friends. So what if he's good looking?"_

Seto, for his part was busy trying to get the splinter out of Tea's hand. Holding it in his own, he noticed for the first time how perfect her hands were. _"They're so small and well formed,"_ he thought. _"And pale and...why are my thoughts going in this direction anyway?"_

Tea tapped Seto on the head. "Hello? Kaiba? My splinter?"

Snapping out of a trance, Seto bent over her hand once again. With one quick flick of his nail, the splinter came out.

Pulling herself up, Tea walked back towards the shelves and folders.

"What are you doing?" Seto asked her.

"I'm finishing my job, Kaiba," Tea responded. "I never did finish organizing these files." She picked up a folder, only to have its contents fall out.

"Geesh, I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, kneeling down to pick up the scattered papers. "I really - Kaiba, what are you…..?" she let her question trail off as he knelt down and helped her to gather the missing documents.

"Gardner, are you crazy?" he asked, rising to his feet.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, glancing up at him with eyes that reminded Seto of his dream.

"You don't have to do this," he said, his hands closing over hers.

"I-never mind," she responded, still trying to register the fact that he was touching her.

"What?" Seto asked, bending down even closer.

"Um…." Tea said, leaning in towards him.

Their lips inched together until…….

"Mr. Kaiba?" a man asked from the doorway.

Startled, Tea pulled away from Seto.

"What?" he asked extremely annoyed. _"Stupid driver,"_ he cursed. _"I should really fire him for ruining that moment...wait, was I about to kiss Gardener?"_

"_Oh my God!" _Tea thought._ "Was I really about to kiss Kaiba-or was he about to kiss me? This kind of stuff always gives me a headache!"_

"Sir, Master Mokuba has been on the limo phone line for half an hour sir," the driver said. "He will not hang up until he speaks to you and you alone."

"Fine," Seto grunted, taking the cell phone his employee handed him. Holding it up to his ear, he heard Mokuba's voice on the other end.

"Seto, where are you?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm at work, Mokuba," Seto said, his expression softening as he spoke to his only living relation.

Tea smiled. _"It's so cute when he talks to his brother,"_ she thought. _"It's obvious that he cares a lot for the people he loves."_

"Yes, Mokuba, I'll be home soon," Seto finished, closing the cell phone. "Here," he said, handing the phone to his driver. "I'll be down in a minute. Do not leave until I am ready."

"Yes sir," the driver said, exiting the room, thankful that he hadn't been fired. _"Isn't that the same girl I almost ran over?"_ he asked himself. _"Why didn't Mr. Kaiba fire me when he had the chance?" _ Mulling it over, he decided it would be best to not say anything to his employer.

"Gardener, are you coming?" Seto asked, picking up his metal briefcase.

"What just happened?" she asked her voice shaky.

"Nothing. Forget it," Seto demanded. He was tired and didn't want to discuss anything right now, especially the almost kiss. Turning around, he walked downstairs, Tea following him.

Climbing into the limo, he didn't take out his laptop as was usual. Instead, he directed his thoughts at the person who was currently sitting next to him.

Tea, for her part was lost in memory.

**Flashback**

"It was a mistake all right," Tea agreed. "I just couldn't see it."

"Tea, we can work this out," he begged. "Just give me a chance."

Tea spun around. "A chance? That's the last thing I'm going to give you after the way you've treated me!" she screamed as tears poured down her cheeks.

"Tea," he said. "Let me do one thing first."

"What?" she asked but was cut off by his lips on hers. She could taste the alcohol in his mouth as he crushed her against the wall.

Suddenly, Tea's fist flew up and connected with his cheek. "Stop it!" she screamed. The tears flew freely now.

Now he regretted having hurt her. "Tea," he said, extending his hand.

She pushed it away. "I thought you were a gentleman," she said. "But it turns out I was wrong. I thought I could trust you, I overlooked your mistakes – and there were a lot of them. I thought you loved me, I thought you cared. But I was wrong."

"Tea," he said, eyes shining. "I won't lie to you any longer. When you said you loved me, I was apprehensive. I didn't want to rush anything. I wasn't sure if I loved you or not."

"How could you lead me on like that?" Tea demanded. "How could you crush all my hopes?"

"I'm sorry Tea," he apologized. "It's just not going to work. It's over."

**End Flashback**

Tea sighed. _"I've got to move on,"_ she told herself. _"I can't keep living in the past. I've got to concentrate on what's important, getting to America and becoming a professional dancer."_

Seto glanced over at her. Tea hadn't moved in the past 5 minutes and seemed to be deep in thought. Unknowingly, his arm snaked around her shoulders before he caught himself. _"What am I doing?" _he thought. _"I'm not attracted to Gardner...am I?"_ He shook his head. _"Of course not,"_ he assured himself.

Meanwhile, Tea's thoughts had drifted around to her companion. _"Why is Kaiba being so nice?"_ she thought. _"Why is he helping me at all? All he's done in the past is insult Joey and try to beat Yugi in duels. He never wanted our friendship, sympathy, or even anything to do with us. So why now?" _

Her contemplations jumped back to Battle City. _"Se-Kaiba saved my life that day, he stopped that crate from dropping on me, even though I told him to forget about me, to make sure Yugi and Joey were safe," _she remembered. _"Later, he claimed that he did it because I helped Mokuba escape from the rare hunters. But Yugi and Yami saved his life multiple times and all he ever did was demand a rematch."_

"Kaiba?" she asked.

"Hnn," he grunted.

"Do you remember Battle City?" she awaited his answer.

"_What kind of a question is that?"_ he thought. "Yes," was his verbal response.

"Do you remember when Marik took control of Joey's mind and made him duel Yugi?" she asked all in one breath.

"You mean the duel where Wheeler was actually close to winning for once and you were stuck under that crate?" Seto inquired.

"Why did you do it?" Tea asked.

"Do what?" he asked, eyes narrowing.

"Why did you rescue me?" she asked. "Why did you stop that rare hunter from dropping the crate on me?"

"Because you saved Mokuba's life," he stated simply, not even sparing her a glance.

"I know that's what you say," she responded, annoyed. "But Yugi's saved both Mokuba's soul and yours in Duelist Kingdom and you said that it wouldn't change anything. So why did you save me?"

Seto stared out the window, not responding. _"I wasn't really thinking when I saved her life," he thought. "It's what any decent person would have done. But I'm not supposed to be a decent person,"_ he realized. _"I'm Seto Kaiba, President and CEO of Kaiba Corp. I'm supposed to be a reputed workaholic and a coldhearted jerk that cares nothing for the feelings of others. I'm not supposed to be normal."_

He was brought back to Earth by Tea shifting towards him. "Umm...it's kind of late to say this," she began. "But I just wanted to thank you," she said, hugging him.

"You're welcome," Seto barely managed to eke out. _"Why does she keep hugging me?"_ he asked himself.

"Mr. Kaiba," the driver said. "We're here."

Abruptly, Tea pulled away and Seto noticed the immediate lack of warmth. Sure, the limo had heaters, but this was a different kind of warmth.

Walking into the mansion, the two brunettes were greeted by an overly-excited Mokuba.

"Seto, Seto, Seto!" he exclaimed. Tea smiled. Even thought Mokuba was 15, he still acted like a 12 year old kid.

"Hey kiddo," Seto said, ruffling his brother's hair.

"Seto, can we watch a movie?" Mokuba asked.

"A movie?" Seto responded, confused.

"Please Seto?" Mokuba begged. "There's this really good one that just came out on DVD! I picked it up after school was over! Please?"

"But I have to work this weekend Mokuba," Seto said. "We need to finish Duel Disk Version 5.5 by the..."

"Seto..." Mokuba whined. "You're always working!"

"Come on Kaiba," Tea said. "Are you so busy that you can't spend two hours with your little brother?"

"Do you not love me anymore Seto?" Mokuba asked, putting on his 'poor little me' act.

"Fine," he said. "But it better only be two hours." And with that, he turned and strode up the stairs to his room.

"G'night Tea," Mokuba yawned, wandering down the hall.

"See you Mokuba!" Tea said, also deciding it was time for bed. Walking towards her room, she noticed a door closing. _"Is that Seto's room?" _she wondered, not even noticing that she called him 'Seto' in her mind.

Climbing into bed, she thought about Seto. _"I wonder what makes him so cold hearted. Why is he always obsessing over being the best?"_ she speculated while pulling the covers up to her chin. _"Why does he only smile around his little brother?"_

And with these thoughts in her head, Tea drifted off to sleep.

ooooooo

Yes! I finished Chapter 4! Chapter 5 should be coming up pretty quickly; I've already started writing it. The more reviews, the faster I write!


	5. Movie Night

**Author's Notes: **Yayness! Chapter 5 is finally up! I apologize for not updating this sooner but I had a touch of writer's block and then I had some school trouble so that's why I haven't updated in awhile. However, I had great inspirations for both Happy April Fool's Day and A Dancer's Thoughts. Anyway, on with the chapter!

**Disclaimer: **Oh wait, I still have to do a disclaimer! #curses# I do not own: 1) Yu-Gi-Oh! 2) Star Wars 3) Digital Video Disc (DVD) 4) Any other books or movies I make random references to. Are you happy now? #mutters on and on about how the fan fiction authors are cursed with doing a disclaimer for everything they write.#

ooooooooooo

Finally it was Saturday and Mokuba was ready to show his movie. Together, he and Tea waited in the living room.

"Tea, do you know where my brother is?" Mokuba asked.

"I haven't seen him since breakfast this morning," she replied.

"He's probably in his office," Mokuba groaned. "Working..."

"He has an office here in his home?" Tea asked in amazement.

"Yeah," Mokuba replied in an offhand voice. "When he doesn't go to Kaiba Corp. he works in there on whatever product he's trying to perfect."

The minutes passed and eventually Tea and Mokuba realized that Seto wasn't coming.

"Why don't I go get him and you can set up the movie?" Mokuba suggested after half an hour. Walking towards the stairs, he turned around when he heard Tea cough.

"I, uh, don't exactly know how," she admitted, glancing around at the complex technological setup.

"Umm...maybe you should go get Seto and I can set up the movie instead," Mokuba said.

Cautiously, Tea pushed open the office door. "Kaiba, the movie's about to start," she said upon seeing Seto sitting in a desk.

"Maybe later," was his response as he continued typing.

Tea was annoyed. "You promised Mokuba you'd watch the movie with him," she stated. Not receiving a response from the CEO, she walked around the desk and reached for the laptop.

"Gardner, leave my computer alone," Seto said, rising from his chair.

"Well, I have to get you away from your precious technology so you'll actually go downstairs and watch with Mokuba!" Tea exclaimed. "Otherwise, you'd just sit up here typing all night!"

Inside his mind, Seto growled. _"She does have a point. When was the last time I slept a full night or even spent some time with Mokuba?"_

Leaning over across Seto, Tea pushed the shut down button on the laptop. "Now you have to come down with me!" she triumphantly stated.

"Gardner, I hope you know that I'm doing this only for Mokuba," he said before following her down the stairs.

"Big brother! You're here!" Mokuba exclaimed. Glancing over to Tea, he asked, "How did you get Seto out of his office? Usually it takes me 15 minutes just to get him to stand up!"

Tea grinned. "Well Mokuba, if you just separate your brother from any form of technology, he is completely at your mercy and will do whatever you want!"

"Gardner," Seto growled. "If I hear one more word out of you..."

"Guess what movie we're watching?" Mokuba broke in, trying to change the subject.

"Umm, I don't know, what?" Tea asked.

With a flourish, he pulled out a DVD case from behind his back. "Star Wars 3 Disk Set Collector's Edition: Episodes 4 through 6!" he crowed

"We're actually going to watch that crap?" Seto asked, unfolding his arms.

"It's not crap!" Tea shouted. "It's really good!"

"Fine, whatever," Seto said, glaring at her.

Mokuba inserted the disk into the Toshiba DVD player. A menu popped up and he selected the 'play movie' function. "Come on Tea!" he said. "Come sit with me!"

Tea walked over and sat behind him on the couch.

"Popcorn?" Mokuba asked.

"Uh, not right now," Tea said, avoiding his glance. "Shh, the movie's about to start.

The three settled down, watching the prologue scroll by. Then a starship appeared on the screen, firing upon another one. When Darth Vader entered the shuttle, Tea buried her head in her hands.

"I don't like him...he's creepy," she said, peering through her fingers. "His breathing is so weird!"

"Gardner, it's just some idiot in a mask! It's very obvious!" Seto said. "Why don't you just calm down and watch the movie!"

For awhile, all was silent. Until Ben Kenobi rescued Luke from an ambush. "Obi-Wan?" he said. "Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time."

Right on cue, both Tea and Mokuba shouted, "How long?"

And Ben said, "A long time."

Both of them collapsed onto the floor in giggles. "Hehe!" Mokuba laughed. "That's my favorite part of the whole movie!"

"Yeah," Tea agreed. "Except for the part at the end when they have the final battle!"

Seto rolled his eyes. "Mokuba, get off the floor," he said.

"But this movie is so funny!" he exclaimed, tears in his eyes.

"The special effects are pathetic," Seto said, not even paying attention.

"Kaiba, they made this movie 20 years ago, the special effects aren't supposed to be as good as the ones today," Tea said.

"Whatever," was his one word response.

After Luke had destroyed the Death Star and the movie was over, Mokuba turned back to his brother. "Seto, can we please see the other two episodes?" he begged.

"Umm..." Seto could not speak due to shock. "_Two more movies of this?"_ he screamed in his head.

"Sure, Mokuba!" Tea took advantage of Seto's silence.

"Seto, come and sit with us!" Mokuba begged. "Please?"

"Fine," he responded, leaving the corner of the room. Glancing briefly at Mokuba he sat down on the end.

"Kaiba, come sit next to your brother," Tea demanded, tugging on his arm.

"Guys, the second movie's about to start!" Mokuba said, sitting down next to Tea. (a/n: So Tea's in the middle of them, it's a two person couch, they're all kind of squished together.)

By the time Episode 6 was halfway through, Mokuba had fallen asleep against Tea's shoulder. Tea had also started to nod off, leaning her head against Seto's arm.

Seto glanced down at her. "What is she doing?" he thought. "Why can't she sleep on Mokuba's shoulder?"

"_But maybe she wanted to sleep on you instead..."_ a voice said.

"_Oh no, are you my conscience?"_ Seto narrowed his eyes. _"I thought I got rid of you when I was adopted by Gozaboro."_

"_Nope, I'm still here,"_ the conscience smirked. _"And I always show up when you least expect it."_

"_Joy,"_ Seto sarcastically exclaimed. _"You can leave now."_

His conscience shook his head. "_Nope, I'm not leaving until I prove my point."_

"_And what point would that be?"_ Seto asked.

"_Hello? The point about Tea?"_ his conscience exclaimed, flailing his arms.

"_What about her?"_

"_That you like her."_

"_What? There is not even a remote possibility that I like Gardner."_

"_Well, what about that time when you almost kissed her?"_

"_That was a mistake, I – wait, how do you know about that?"_

"_I'm your conscience, Kaiba-boy! I know every and any thought that passes through your head. I also know that you've been thinking about Tea ever since she started living here."_

"_Yeah, so what if I have? She's my employee!"_

"_True, but you think more about her than all your other workers combined."_

"_No I don't."_

"_Anyway, let me prove to you how much power I have here," _his conscience smirked.

Seto watched in horror as his arm snaked around Tea's shoulders. She let out a sigh, content with the warmth and Seto felt as if something had just slithered through his stomach.

"_I know you'd see things my way Seto!" _his conscience cheered.

"_I'm just making sure she isn't scared by the movie. That's all."_

"_You didn't think the movie was all that scary before, did you?"_

"_..."_

"_I think I've proved my point well enough. Time to go, but don't forget, I'll be back!"_

"_You'd better be coming back! That way I teach you a lesson in pain and...wait, where did you go?"_

Sighing, Seto gave up trying to communicate with himself. Shifting in his seat, he stared intently at the screen, trying to divert his attention from the brunette currently snuggling against him.

"_You know, this movie isn't so bad after all,"_ was his last thought before drifting off to sleep.

Tea awoke a few hours later. "I must have fallen asleep on the couch," she thought, examining her surroundings.

Looking around, she noticed an arm around her waist._ "Oh my God, don't tell me I fell asleep against Kaiba!"_ she frantically thought.

Shifting, she noticed Seto lying next to her, asleep. He had a small smile on his face as if he was having a pleasant dream.

"_He's kind of cute when he's asleep,"_ Tea thought. Suddenly, she felt his arm tighten around her waist. Seto drew her even closer, nestling his nose in her hair. A contented sigh left his lips as he settled back to sleep.

After her initial shock, Tea settled down a little. For some reason, this position felt comfortable, almost as if it was a protection from _him._

**Flashback**

Tea ran back into the bar, barely stopping to grab her purse. She flew by Tristan, who was still dancing with the blond.

"Hey Tea, what happened?" Joey asked, noticing her tearstained face.

"I'm going to leave now!" she said, her voice strangely high pitched.

"Umm...okay," Joey said, noticing Mai coming back with drinks.

After grabbing her jacket, Tea ran out of the door, noticing the rain for the first time. Once she was sure nobody was following her, she slowed down to a walk.

"_So here I am standing in the rain,"_ she thought. _"I have no one, I have nothing. What do I have that's left?"_

**End Flashback**

Shivering, Tea tried to suppress her tears. Snuggling closer to Seto, she slowly fell into a shallow sleep.

Seto didn't want to wake up. He hadn't had a good sleep for a long time and he was much more comfortable than he would have been trying to catch a few hours in his office.

His pillow was also softer than it should have been and it smelled faintly of strawberries.

"_I've got to remind the maids to keep using this brand of fabric softener,"_ he thought. Suddenly, he heard a small whimper.

"_I don't remember going to bed last night!"_ Seto's eyes flew open. He was sprawled on the couch after falling asleep during the movie with Tea Gardner.

She was currently clutching his shirt, her hands intertwining with the thin fabric. Her face was contorted into a grimace as she twisted and turned in her nightmare.

"Gardner, wake up!" Seto said, shaking her.

Tea groggily opened one eye and suddenly found herself face to face with Seto Kaiba. Unfortunately, due to her surprise, Tea fell off the couch, pulling a very confused Seto down with her.

"What happened?" she asked, feeling the cold floor against her back.

"You fell asleep on me during the movie, I woke you up, you panicked and fell off the couch, pulling me with you," Seto explained in a very monotonous voice.

"Oh," was Tea's simple response. Suddenly, she realized the position they were in. Her hands still clutched Seto's shirt while his hands were placed on the floor on either side of her face, keeping his weight off her.

"Who did this to you?" Seto asked, leaning in.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Tea replied.

"Gardner, it's obvious somebody had been hurting you, if not physically, then mentally. You have nightmares, you refuse to talk about it and you don't have an appetite. So who's doing it?" he asked.

"Why should I tell you?" she asked. "For all I know, you're just going to hurt me too."

Seto reached up with his thumb to brush away her tears. "Why would I do that – Tea?" he asked, dangerously close.

"P-please don't," Tea said, backing up.

Cupping her chin in his hand, Seto looked into her eyes. "I would never hurt you," he said. Leaning down, he captured her lips with his.

ooooooooooooooo

**Author's Notes: **The real reason this story is taking so long is because it isn't exactly flowing the way I want it. It seems to me that this fic is just going in circles. Tea cries, Seto comforts her, etc...This chapter was about halfway written when I realized this, so I deleted it and started over from scratch. I'm going to try and keep things moving forward instead of around in a circle, so bear with me while I make adjustments.

Please drop a review with suggestions and check out my other stories! Only two more reviews for A Dancer's Thoughts. I'm almost there! (For those of you who read it, I might do a part 2 even if I don't get twenty reviews. If I don't update it in the next two weeks, my next updating window is June after school is out because of finals.)


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